Palm Beach County Lures MICE Travel to Showcase Area

Fresh off a three-day conference designed to lure Latin American tourists and business, Palm Beach County’s travel industry is set to host two more events over the coming months that officials hope will also promote the area as a destination for out-of-town travelers.

The PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens will serve as the backdrop this week for more than 100 CEOs and association leaders from around the United States. The conference and fundraiser is being organized by the American Society of Association Executives and will include representatives from tourism groups and other trade associations.

The annual event was held in Boca Raton in 2009, but in more recent years, it has been held in cities in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. Organizers said the warm weather and a competitive proposal from PGA National were among the reasons they decided to bring the event back to Palm Beach County this year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Travel Association announced last month that it plans to hold its 2016 Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations, known as ESTO, in Palm Beach County. The annual event, which is expected to draw travel marketers from across the United States, will be held at the Boca Raton Resort & Club next August.

Discover The Palm Beaches, the county’s official marketing organization, has heralded the announcement, saying it will put a spotlight on the region.

“Discover The Palm Beaches looks forward to welcoming ESTO’s tourism professionals to our destination in 2016, because it is, quite simply, the best way to experience Florida; a destination where genuine hospitality has been a way of life since its inception in the 1890s,” said Jorge Pesquera, Discover’s President and CEO. “The Palm Beaches in its entirety has a resort-style feel, offering a quintessential Florida experience with classic hotels, pristine beaches, and the best in golf, spa, dining, and entertainment. We could not think of a better place for U.S. travel destination marketers to come together and explore emerging trends, global issues and best practices from across the tourism industry.”

Earlier this month, Pesquera and his staff spent three days showcasing the county to roughly 340 travel industry buyers from Latin America and the Caribbean. The group, which included wholesale tour operators, corporate travel agencies and large travel retailers, was at the Boca Raton Resort and Club for the annual La Cita de las Americas conference.

The conference matches U.S. travel promoters with potential clients from the Latin America and the Caribbean. County officials have identified Latin America as a key tourism market.

Source: The Palm Beach Post